Silo.



I. J-., VAN GOTT- .SILO. APPLIGATIONIILED AUG. 3, 1908.

Patented Nov. 9, 1909."

mam/E)? I I WITNESSES: Mi/6V m amw' 1 FRANK J. VAN com, or uunmnna, NEW YORK.

SILO.

To all whom. it may concern: 9

Be it known that I, FRANK JJVAN Corr,

. a citizen of the United States, residing at Unadilla, in the county of Otsego and- State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsdn Silos, of which the followin is a specification.

' My inventionrelates to silos orl tanks of the classhaving a continuous opening on one or more sides from the top to the bottom,

through which the contents may be supplied or removed at" intervals and is especially designed for holding ensilage. I have shown the invention as applied to this vertical opening in the side of the silo, which is practically a continuous opening closed bya succession of doors inserted from the bottom upward or removed from the top downward, somewhat similar to 'thesectional opening or closing of an ice house.

I do not herein claim therefore, the vertical opening fromthe top to the bottom nor the round construction of the tank or silo,

but my invention relates particularly to the form and construction of each door or door section forming the means of closing and vertical opening mentioned, and as to the form and shape of said door sections and the means of uniting one of these sections to the other and the means for holding the sections in place in the "door frame, and means for loosening and removing each section from top to bottom, when it 'is desired to remove the same, which means combined,

form also a series of steps'or rounds on the outside of the silo whereby a person can easily mount from the bottom to the top for the purpose of inspection or for opening said doors.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in whichv Figure 1 is an illustration of an ordinary silo showing the application of my inven: tion. Fig. 2 is a side view of two of the doors according to my invention, Fig. 3 is a front view of the same two doors. Fig. 4. is a lon ituilinai section taken on the inc of44oFig3.

In my drawing Fig. 1 shows'thegeneral form of a silo constructed of staves and hoops. It has the openin from top to bottom as shown at a and is ound together by hoops 6 extending completely around the silo with the exception the opening. The

by the protecting braces or rods Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed August 3,1908. L Serial No. 446,549.

layer is also beveled as shown at 6 in Fig. 2,

arms g, and g as shown in the 'section and u,

Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

and. also by the jambs C and C. Between these edgesof the opening are inserted the sectional doors in my (invention. I have the and d as shown in Fig. 4and this beveled. line surface may extend. clear to the outer surface of the wall of the silo as shown at e in Fi 4. or-may meet and rest against the shoul er formed by the janib as shown f.

Two sections'of my doors are shown by G and H and are made up of two thicknesses of material placedrelati-vely to each other in such a position as to each other, as to have the grain of each running in opposite directions. The strip G is placed across that of G and H across that of H, beingfirmly. fastened or battened together and so united forming one thickness of material while the entire edge is beveled as shown by the lines d and ol in Fig. 4. The inner side of the sectional door being broader than the outer side.

In my construction, the outside layer of the door section inits upper. edge projects beyond the edge of the inner la er and this upper edge so projecting is beve ed as shown at 5'in Fig. 2; the lower edge of the outer but the lower beveled edge is parallel with the lower edge of A the inner layer, as shown in Fig. 2.. In a similar manner is constructed the lower door section as shown Between 90 in Fig. 2 consisting of H and H. these two. layers of material forming the door section are cut the circular channels 9 and g as shown in Fig. 2, Fig 3 and Fig. 4. Tl rough the outer layer of thedoor section are cut diagonal slots J and J as shown in Fig. 3. These slots are surmounted by the protecting metal plates k and la respectively in the upper door and Z, and Z in the lower door as shown in Fi 2 and Fig. 3. Within g and g respectively 100 I insert the bail m and m and n and n as the circular channe s shown in Fig.3 and Fig. 4. The outer projfecting ends of the bail ato and o and p and respectively bent as shown in Fi 3. The bail extends through the dia ona slots J and J before mentioned and t up er door andu as shown-in t e lower door section of-doorin Fi .8. These arms q and g and u and u are ent'in a ri ht are le-ao as to formthe elbows it an t as as own in Figs. 8 and 4. Over these bended the two strips 1 e. projecting oints 0 and 0 oi. the bail; I then insert the oor through the upright opening of the sil J, then draw it into place until its beveled edges are firmly secured against the beveled edges of the sides of the door opening as shown in Fig. l. I then pull down upon the bail which causes the arms, guided by the diagonal slots J and J to extend laterally separating the arms of the bail farther apart and thus thereby forcing the points m and m against and into the wood, and forcing the curved point 0 into the wood with a twisting motion, thereby, the more securely drawing the sectional door against the beveled edges (2 and d as in Fig. 4 and there holding it firmly in place. in placing the door sections in the opening of the silo, I preferably begin at the bottom and place the lower door section and secure it in position, and then the other door sections in order to the top, and when the doors are in position the arms assume the downward clamped position as shown in S in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 in each door section, and when all are in place I, thereby, have a series of steps or. rounds. by which to mount on the outside of this series of doors from the bottom to the top of the silo.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and for which I desire Letters Patent is as follows:

1. A silo, having an opening in one side, a series of doors fitting in said opening, and means carried by said doors and engaging the silofor securing the doors in position, said means consisting of a pair of rods mounted on each door and havim. their upper outer ends engaging the silo no. having their lower ends connected to form a series of strips to provide a. ladder for the silo.

2. A silo, having an opening extending from top to bottom, strips arranged at each side or the opening and having beveled faces, a series of doors having their edges beveled to fit said strips, means mounted in said doors and engaging the strips to secure the doors in position, said means consisting of a pair of rods mounted. in each door and having their upper outer ends engaging the silo and having their lower ends connected to form a series of strips to provide ladder for the silo.

3. A silo. having an openingtherein, doors fitted in 5 i opening and provided with a horizontal j sage, bended arms fitted in said passage and adapted to eu agc tho silo, and means for moving said how ed arms into and out of engagement with the silo.

l. A silo, Jrovided with an opening therein, a series of doors fitting in said 0 naming, a pair of horizontal movable arms fitting in each door and adapted to engage the silo,

and slotted plates in which said arms have a vertical movement to cause said arms to engage the silo to secure the doors in position and to disengage the silo to permit the removal of the doors.

5. In combination with the vertical strips at each side of the opening of the silo, the doors fitting in said opening, the pair of movable arms fitted in each door for engaging the vertical strips to secure the doors in position, means connecting the arms outside the doors, and means engaging said arms to cause them to engage and disengage said vortical strips.

In testimony whereof I have allixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK J'. VAN COTT.

Witnesses f B. E NEWMAN, WM. PICKARD. 

